Somebody made up the term “blogosphere,” patterned after “atmosphere.” I like it better without the middle “o,” but I’m in a very small minority. So the header on this page is not a typo as far as I’m concerned.
I’ve been reading other peoples’ blogs differently now that I have one of my own, and I thought it was important for the record to state a few things that I think makes this one different.
- I am not steeped in acadæmia, though I do have an undergrad degree in philosophy and sociology from a secular university and will be the first to admit that the phrase “steeped in acadæmia” is not exactly pedestrian
- I am not a pastor, though I have worked full time in various forms of vocational ministry for 35 years now, and have done pulpit supply on Sunday mornings in everything from Pentecostal to Reformed churches
- I am not a consumer of esoteric Christian books known only to the blogosphere, but I am in fact the owner of two Christian bookstores in Canada which allows access to those same books
- I do not flit from conference to conference, partially because I hate that kind of travel and can’t afford it and partially because I think most people in the blogosphere are seriously addicted to them; though I am known to beg, borrow, buy and download audio recordings of sessions if they’re available
- I think if you’re going to research and then read the top 100 Christian blogs, you’re going to see a disproportionate representation from a single doctrinal stream and/or worldview; so this one tries to give equal time to other views and ideas while still remaining somewhat Evangelical.
- I use the internet, but I don’t write about it or its various manifestations. I borrow my wife’s Facebook account about twice a year. Not on Twitter. Have a cell phone but don’t text. This blog is just not into gadgets, I guess.
- Though it’s been many years, I still have empathy for people on dial-up internet. So I have links to YouTube, GodTube, Vimeo and MetaCafé videos where needed, but don’t embed them. Update, April 2011: With people in rural areas increasingly getting access to high speed internet — in some cases better than our own — I caved on this one. But I trust you’ll hold me accountable not to get ‘lazy’ with videos. If you’re still not on high speed, enjoy the pre-2011 archives.
- To borrow the phrase from my original USA Today blog, “Matters of Faith, Because Faith Matters;” this is all about living as a Christ-follower, writing about it, and celebrating other writing by other people.
So really, I don’t fit the pattern of people who have these things, which is why I think it’s needed.
~ Paul Wilkinson, Ontario, Canada
